50 MPH uppers that went down to about 1000 feet drove me way off the field Saturday morning. It was a bit wet and muddy. I had no place to do much arranging of my canopy to make the hike back easier. So I picked it up the best I could and started walking. I was getting hot and right after I took my long sleeved shirt off, I thought, "If I only had a bag", as something was always trying to slip away and drag on me. I shoved the main into my shirt, looped the sleeves around my chest strap and tied them. I came in with this big poofy shirt on my chest but both hands free.

I just wish I had thought of that right the beginning. I am sure there are other tips that some could post about making things easier if you are hiking with a rig and jumpsuit. Anyone care to share?

Make sure you have a pullup cord in a pocket somewhere and just fieldpack the main. Rig on your shoulders, voila, free arms. If you want, you could just pack the rig there and then, but then you probably also want a couple spare elastic bands in your pocket.

50 MPH uppers that went down to about 1000 feet drove me way off the field Saturday morning. It was a bit wet and muddy. I had no place to do much arranging of my canopy to make the hike back easier. So I picked it up the best I could and started walking. I was getting hot and right after I took my long sleeved shirt off, I thought, "If I only had a bag", as something was always trying to slip away and drag on me. I shoved the main into my shirt, looped the sleeves around my chest strap and tied them. I came in with this big poofy shirt on my chest but both hands free.

I just wish I had thought of that right the beginning. I am sure there are other tips that some could post about making things easier if you are hiking with a rig and jumpsuit. Anyone care to share?

Either stash a pullup cord somewhere or use a shoe lace to field pack. Alternative option would be to wear cargo shorts or pants under your suit. Cell phone in one pocket, stash bag in the other.

In BASE jumping we use a stash bag. It's shapeless/structureless and can be stuffed in a pocket or jumpsuit. I always jump one in skydiving when I intend to land off or think there is a good chance of landing off.

DO: 1Land at beach/lake/pond/pool parties, picnics, side of busy road. You should pick these out weeks/months prior on the way to alt. (I recommend swooping the pond/lake/pool. I scored a nice pond swoop, was given a burger, beer and a ride back to the dz on one jump). ;)

2DON'T PACK!!! You will not get a ride back to the dz in a jumpsuit and a funny looking back pack. You MAY get one with an unpacked parachute.

3Offer to pay for gas-you never will, driving you back to the dz is the coolest thing that driver has done all day, but offering to pay your way earns you credibility in the rural areas that dz's operate near and will help out.

4Invite the driver to stay, make a jump or chill at the bonfire.

5Carry your cellphone/cash on each jump. Call manifest (with the cell) and let em know you had a great landing, have a ride back with some cool new friends and will be back as soon as you get done buying beer (with the $ in your suit) at the gas station ;)

DON'T: Land in tall corn, powerlines, urban neighborhoods, water treatment facilities or prisons. OR get hurt.

DON'T: Land in tall corn, powerlines, urban neighborhoods, water treatment facilities or prisons. OR get hurt.

I can also recommend not landing on the grass at the edge of the high speed driving training course at the police academy since the po-po will have to be contacted to come and retrieve you. Not that I'd know anything about that from personal experience or anything.

DON'T: Land in tall corn, powerlines, urban neighborhoods, water treatment facilities or prisons. OR get hurt.

I can also recommend not landing on the grass at the edge of the high speed driving training course at the police academy since the po-po will have to be contacted to come and retrieve you. Not that I'd know anything about that from personal experience or anything.

And never land in an empty football stadium when making a bandit New Years Eve cross country jump...they LOCK those things up pretty tight when there's no game on!

DON'T: Land in tall corn, powerlines, urban neighborhoods, water treatment facilities or prisons. OR get hurt.

I can also recommend not landing on the grass at the edge of the high speed driving training course at the police academy since the po-po will have to be contacted to come and retrieve you. Not that I'd know anything about that from personal experience or anything.

And never land in an empty football stadium when making a bandit New Years Eve cross country jump...they LOCK those things up pretty tight when there's no game on!

Whodathunk??

We can't leave out, "Don't land at the nuclear submarine facility." Apparently, being locked is the least of your problems.

DON'T: Land in tall corn, powerlines, urban neighborhoods, water treatment facilities or prisons. OR get hurt.

I can also recommend not landing on the grass at the edge of the high speed driving training course at the police academy since the po-po will have to be contacted to come and retrieve you. Not that I'd know anything about that from personal experience or anything.

And never land in an empty football stadium when making a bandit New Years Eve cross country jump...they LOCK those things up pretty tight when there's no game on!

Whodathunk??

We can't leave out, "Don't land at the nuclear submarine facility." Apparently, being locked is the least of your problems.

But yeah as other have said having a pull up cord and a cell phone with you is a good idea.. Unless it takes you an hour to pack and the search party is out combing the field looking for you.

Don't forget, when your landing out in an unfamiliar area it's best to find the biggest open space and land in the middle of it. As the saying goes its better to have a long walk back, Than a short ambulance ride.

it's best to find the biggest open space and land in the middle of it.

Haha, some of us fought that question out in another thread recently.

While the above advice is good and safe, my opinion was NOT to land way out in the middle of some damn field, that is muddy or filled with crops or even just easy pasture but a long walk. Land as close to the EDGE as you think advisable given your experience. Yes, edges of fields are filled with roads/ditches/fences/wires/buildings etc. Stay a safe distance away from them, especially to make up for any accuracy errors when landing away from the DZ with poor wind references. (Heck, if I did twist an ankle I'd rather not have to walk 1500' to the next road to be found.) But no need to land all the way out nowhere.

I think the spot was good but because I tracked (solo tracking dive) with a bit of a tailwind instead of the other way with a bit if a headwind, I totally blew the spot offered for the strong uppers.

I made the mistake of thinking that if I was not open above 3,000 that I would largely be out of the uppers.

The wind on the ground was about 90 degrees different (on the compass) than the uppers, so my opening point and where I wanted to be for a landing pattern was not just a straight line upwind of the DZ. While open at a perfect spot to fly to a pattern entry point on a normal day, I was in no position to deal with strong winds for 2000 vertical feet of canopy flight.

I hate to spiral down but if I had done that, I would have been a lot close to the DZ when I got out of the strong uppers.

I did land right on the edge of a large plowed field, by choice, but I was a long way from the nearest road. I was able to walk just a few steps off of the crops and down the side of the field to the road, but it was a big field. Somewhere behind me, downwind, was another road, but also some of those steel towered 1 million volt transmission lines. So I stayed with the field even though I couldn’t crab over to the road.